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There's been a lot of talk saying, "We're gawwwwwn." Obviously, then, the question is: If not us, who?
For my money, the above comment absolutely nailed it. Everyone has been saying that Kerr, Judd, Fletcher, Cousins are a class above our midfielders, Hall had a shocker and Sydney noticeably lacked a ball player who could grab the game by the scruff of the neck and win it by his own talent. All of that is true... and yet we were (for mine) clearly the better team on the night. That has to be some recommendation for the strength of our team game.
Having looked closely at the 2 games that mattered this weekend (no disrespect to Port, but going all the way is beyond them), I agree that whoever wins the premiership this year will be a team with notable deficiencies.
Adelaide and Sydney consistently get the best out of themselves; WCE are more up-and-down, but even when they're up, their forward line is less than imposing.
Adelaide work hard enough to do it, but due to the (ahem) sheer lack of goal-kicking talent, it would be a turn-up; based on Friday night's performance, I would be absolutely shocked if WCE played well enough to win a GF in Melbourne.
So that leaves us and St Kilda.
When on song, St K is the best team in the comp by a fair margin. The beauty is that when things do start going against them, they can drop their heads (still having some level of mental frailty, not to mention defensive frailty) and it's possible to punish them. It's not only injuries that led to a team this talented losing 9 matches this year. Adelaide's fatal flaw on Sat night was to dominate them for a quarter-and-a-half, and only kick 3 goals the whole time. They have to be hurt harder than that, because with their midfielders and forward line, a 3 goal margin is just a few minutes' work.
Of course they'll be massive favourites to win their Prelim. But, if we make it, is it possible for us to beat them when no-one gives us the slightest chance? You bet. See, for example, R11 2004.
It's true, though, that the cream rises to the top in finals. You need a champion to step up when everything hangs in the balance. We have 3 players in the forward line who are capable of singlehandedly swinging a game, but we have only one man who runs around the body of the ground who can do it. For Sydney to make the GF: Adam Goodes, your time is now.
Originally posted by barry
Its funny when you compare the top 4 sides, in the areas of midfield, defense and attack they all lack one component.
eg:
WC: Gun midfield, Good backline, Poor Fowards
Sydney: Gun forwards, Good backline, poor midfield
Adel: Gun defense, good midfield, poor forwards
St Kilda: Gun forwards, Good midfield, poor defense.
Its funny when you compare the top 4 sides, in the areas of midfield, defense and attack they all lack one component.
eg:
WC: Gun midfield, Good backline, Poor Fowards
Sydney: Gun forwards, Good backline, poor midfield
Adel: Gun defense, good midfield, poor forwards
St Kilda: Gun forwards, Good midfield, poor defense.
Having looked closely at the 2 games that mattered this weekend (no disrespect to Port, but going all the way is beyond them), I agree that whoever wins the premiership this year will be a team with notable deficiencies.
Adelaide and Sydney consistently get the best out of themselves; WCE are more up-and-down, but even when they're up, their forward line is less than imposing.
Adelaide work hard enough to do it, but due to the (ahem) sheer lack of goal-kicking talent, it would be a turn-up; based on Friday night's performance, I would be absolutely shocked if WCE played well enough to win a GF in Melbourne.
So that leaves us and St Kilda.
When on song, St K is the best team in the comp by a fair margin. The beauty is that when things do start going against them, they can drop their heads (still having some level of mental frailty, not to mention defensive frailty) and it's possible to punish them. It's not only injuries that led to a team this talented losing 9 matches this year. Adelaide's fatal flaw on Sat night was to dominate them for a quarter-and-a-half, and only kick 3 goals the whole time. They have to be hurt harder than that, because with their midfielders and forward line, a 3 goal margin is just a few minutes' work.
Of course they'll be massive favourites to win their Prelim. But, if we make it, is it possible for us to beat them when no-one gives us the slightest chance? You bet. See, for example, R11 2004.
It's true, though, that the cream rises to the top in finals. You need a champion to step up when everything hangs in the balance. We have 3 players in the forward line who are capable of singlehandedly swinging a game, but we have only one man who runs around the body of the ground who can do it. For Sydney to make the GF: Adam Goodes, your time is now.
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